Heinz Landwehr
This article is a biography on a real person. Heinz Landwehr (12 February 1912 – 16 February 1945) was a Lieutenant in the German LuftwaffeLapel and cap insignia indicates Luftwaffe service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniforms_of_the_Luftwaffe_(1935%E2%80%9345) during World War II. He commanded a flakregiment and received the Panzer-Sturmabzeichen (Panzer Assault Badge). He fought on the western front until his death in Wesel, Germany during a Royal Air Force bombing raidhttps://worldwar2database.com/gallery/wwii0013 in preparation for Operation Plunder. The city was later taken by allied infantry. Early Life Landwehr was born to the married couple Arnold Landwehr and Sibilla Classen (Claßen in German), and had an older brother of unknown name who would die before Kurt, presumably during the war. Military Service Achievement He began his service in the German Luftwaffe, commanding a flak regiment. He was quickly sent to the western front where the German forces had already started their retreat into the fatherland. Through his service and bravery, he would receive the Iron Cross 2nd Class (E. K. II) and a Panzer Badge (Panzer-Sturmabzeichen). Depending upon when the Panzer Badge was awarded, it is possible for it to have been two different medals entirely. As it is unclear when this medal was awarded, both will be included in this article. Should the badge have been awarded before 3 November 1944, the criteria would have been to have taken part in three armored assaults on three different days, to have been wounded in the course of an assault, or to have earned a bravery decoration in the course of an assaulthttp://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_badges/heer/panzer_badge.htm. This badge, for Heinz, would have been called the Panzer Assault Badge and would have been outlined with a bronze wreath as the flak regiment was considered an armored recon unitneeded. Should the badge have been awarded post 3 November 1944, the it would have required him to have simply participated in three combat engagements on three different days and would have been the Luftwaffe Tank Battle Badgehttp://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_badges/luftwaffe/panzer_luftwaffe.htm. However, considering the amount of engagements the Lieutenant would have endured towards the end of the war, it is highly likely that he was awarded the Luftwaffe Tank Battle Badge. Regiment The 4th Flak Division, subordinate to the VI Flak-Korpshttp://www.ww2.dk/ground/flak/4fladiv.htm, was formed at and assigned to the Dusseldorf area. The division was confirmed to still be in the Duisburg area in 1944. Wesel, the town in which Landwehr was killed, is a part of the Dusseldorf areaPage 5, line 23 http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/939GXLE.PDF . Thus, it is logical to deduce that Landwehr served in the 4th Flak Division even though no records directly state this as of yet. The division also "Saw ground combat in 1945," and "Surrendered 18 April 1945 in the Ruhr-pocket," further confirming this assumption. Landwehr would have commanded a battalion, subordinate to its respective regiment under the 4th Flak Division. It is unclear whether the battalion would have been 'heavy' or 'light' flak. See this document for more information. After Landwehr's death in February, his division would retreat into the Ruhr-pocket and be forced to surrender to American and Canadian troops who had just crossed the Rhine during Operation Plunder. Death Heinz Landwehr died in Wesel, Germany on 16 February 1945 during an Allied bombing raid, just four days after his birthday. Wesel was a strategic target for the allies due to its depots and abundance of bridges spanning the Rhine. The British Royal Air Force used impact and air-burst weaponry on the 16, 17, 18 and 19 February 1945 to soften up resistance to infantry crossing the river during Operation Plunder. During these bombing raids Wesel would be utterly obliterated, with 97% of the structures being damaged or leveled.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Wesel_in_World_War_II In the RAF Bomber Command Diary, the bombing is Wesel is recorded in the 16 February 1945 entryhttps://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/raf-bomber-command-diary-jan-1945.635/. The 16 February 1945 entry says: 100 Lancasters of No 3 Group and 1 Mosquito of No 8 Group attacked the town of Wesel on the Rhine, near the fighting area. No aircraft lost. The raid took place in clear conditions and 'the town and the railway were seen to be smothered in bomb bursts'. It is suggested that the excessive bombing was unnecessary, and that British Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery wanted to "put on a good show" to further his reputationhttps://worldhistoryproject.org/1945/3/24/operation-varsity. The only remaining evidence of Heinz Landwehr's existence and is a single death-card. This death-card would likely have been given out at the funeral by the family, or provided for state records. The card right page of the card roughly translates to the following. The deceased was born on 12 February 1945 as the son of the married couple Arnold Landwehr and Sibilla Classen. He was torn from his commercial career by the war. At the very beginning of the war he was sent to the western front, where our troops were retreating into Germany. On February 16 1945 he found his death in Wesel, shortly before the end of the war when attacked by enemy bombers. There his body was first buried by his comrades, but in May 1946 he was transferred. He was finally put to rest in his native town of Erkelenz. Notes